Murphy tips in game-winner as Pacers stun Lakers

Dec 3, 2008 - 5:41 AM
INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- Troy Murphy had been frustrating the
Los Angeles Lakers on the offensive glass all night. It only
made sense, then, that the same would be true on the last play
of the game.

Murphy's tip-in of Marquis Daniels' miss beat the buzzer Tuesday
night, lifting the Indiana Pacers to a 118-117 victory over the
stunned Lakers.

"To beat those guys on a tip-in at the buzzer ?what a great
night. That's special," Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien said.
"It's a great, great feeling for everyone who is a Pacer."

Murphy registered 16 points and 17 boards - including six on the
offensive end - to deal Los Angeles its first loss since
November 14.

"Things were going their way," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
"There were shots that went awry and they were able to capture
the ball down in the corner a couple of times. They just
out-hustled us."

The Lakers, who saw their seven-game winning streak come to an
end, had already blown a 16-point lead but had regained control
before the Pacers stormed back. Indiana erased a six-point
deficit in the final three minutes, as T.J. Ford sparked a 9-2
run with a pair of free throws.

"Basketball is a game of runs and we were able to withstand
their runs and mount a couple of our own," Ford said. "In a lot
of games in the past, we have let it get away from us. We must
keep our composure and stay in our game plan as we did tonight."

Rasho Nesterovic added a 14-footer and budding star Danny
Granger knocked down a 3-pointer to pull to within one. Daniels
finally pushed the Pacers in front with a pair of foul shots.
Kobe Bryant answered on the other end, pulling up for a go-ahead
22-footer to put the Lakers back on top by a point.

However, the reigning league MVP missed out on a chance to make
it a three-point game, misfiring on a 19-foot attempt to give
the Pacers life.

After Nesterovic nearly turned the ball over, Daniels took
control and drove the right baseline, going up and under for
what could have been a game-winning layup. When the shot
bounced off, Murphy was right there for the follow as the Pacers
snapped a two-game skid.

"It seemed like an eternity. It was bouncing, bouncing,
bouncing," O'Brien said of the game-winner.

Tuesday's back-and-forth affair seemed to be locked up by the
end of the third quarter. The Pacers took an 86-84 edge with
2:36 left, but the Lakers responded with a 17-0 run to close the
frame. Andrew Bynum scored six points in the surge and Sasha
Vujacic added a 3-pointer as the reigning Western Conference
champs took control.

But the Pacers wouldn't go away. They staged a 12-2 run to open
up the fourth, with Murphy's 3-pointer sandwiched in between a
pair of layups from T.J. Ford to cut the deficit to 104-98.

"They did a great job on the offensive boards and our turnovers
created momentum for them," Bryant said. "Their 3-point
shooting kept them in the game."

The Lakers couldn't get a handle on Granger, who overcame some
erratic shooting to finish with 32 points - including 10 in the
fourth quarter. Ford added 21 and eight assists.

"We were down a bunch of points and were able to come back, stay
in our game plan, execute making open shots and getting some
stops," Nesterovic said.

Los Angeles had been the aggressor for most of the night,
getting to the free-throw line 45 times. But ironically enough,
it was the Pacers' foul shooting that kept them in contention.
They didn't get to the line nearly as frequently, but they made
their chances count, connecting on 20-of-21 attempts overall.

"I was a little bit aggressive with the team tonight because I
didn't think they functioned right," Jackson said. "They didn't
react well defensively. As a result, Indiana hung around and
found a way to win it."

Bryant led six Lakers in double figures with 28 points on
10-of-21 shooting and Pau Gasol added 20.